


About Missing People

by Luna_Myth



Series: About Missing People [1]
Category: Sword Art Online
Genre: Between Seasons/Series, Canon Compliant, Conversations, F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen, Maybe - Freeform, Missing Persons, POV First Person, Post-Book(s), Romance, Separations, Talking, Walking, i freakin had to type that friendship tag wtf, probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 10:09:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9543101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luna_Myth/pseuds/Luna_Myth
Summary: Immediately following the end of SAO 9: Alicization Beginning, while walking for the central city, Kirito has a conversation with Eugeo about missing people.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I've read as far as has been translated into English legitimately and sold at Barnes and Noble's. If something happens after that, I don't know about it.

The road to the central city was long and dull, more of a path than an actual street. It was pretty typical, although boring, for an MMO, consisting of hard-packed dirt with the occasional imbedded stone, but the level of detail was incredible—indistinguishable from the real thing, thanks to the STL’s fluctlight-reading capabilities. I put my hands behind my head and sighed.

“Something wrong, Kirito?” Eugeo called from my left.

“Er, well…” I didn’t know how to answer, but I didn’t want to dismiss Eugeo’s concern. “I guess I miss something.”

“Even though you don’t remember where you came from?” Eugeo asked, tilting his head to face me as we walked. His eyes grew suddenly sharp with interest.

“Yeah,” I agreed, silently apologizing for the lie. In truth, I remembered much more than I’d let on. I couldn’t remember how Asuna had answered my question, or how I’d ended up in the STL, but otherwise my memory was intact. Feeling guilty, I said, “Maybe what I miss isn’t just the people and places in my memories, but the memories themselves. Suddenly forgetting so much must be a strain on the mind…”

Eugeo looked thoughtful. “I know what you mean, about missing people. But… I think I know what you mean about missing memories, too. I feel like I’ve forgotten something, something important, but I can’t think of what it could be. The gap is just…there.”

“Alice,” I said, trying to steer the conversation back into slightly safer waters. “That’s who you miss, right?”

“Yes,” he agreed. “Alice.”            

He stared back down the road and I thought the conversation was over. Then he said, “Kirito, do you have any idea who you miss? If you can get your memory back, maybe it’ll help me remember.”

“Er—“ I uttered once again, at a lost for how to answer. Eugeo caught on this time and he shook his head fervently, honey-gold hair flying.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, “that was an insensitive question.”

“No, no, it’s okay,” I hastened to forgive him. “I-I have some idea. I mean, I have some… conjecture.” I waited for Eugeo to nod before continuing. I was going to tell him the truth, or at least some of it.

                “I remember a girl with chestnut hair,” I began slowly. I remembered my earlier conversation with Asuna and Sinon at Dicey Café and nearly smiled. “A bit older than us,” I had to add. “And a very young girl, with my hair.”

                Eugeo’s eyes widened silently. “Do you know who they are?” he asked.

                “Yeah,” I answered. I almost hadn’t drawn in enough breath and it came out a bare whisper. I sucked in more air and gave a slight, hollow smile. “My wife and daughter.”

                Eugeo stumbled, tripping over his own feet as we walked along the path, but his eyes never left my face. “Y-you’re married, Kirito?! You have a daughter?!”

                Despite his words, he seemed more shocked than disbelieving, and I internally breathed a sigh of relief. I had no idea how marriage and relationships worked in the Underworld, so I was glad my _SAO_ marriage to Asuna seemed feasible. As for Yui, well… she was hard to explain at the best of times, so I could only hope she’d forgive me for aging her down.

“It’s only speculation,” I said, trying to soothe his shock, “but yes, I believe so.”

“…”

Eugeo stared at me through earnest, sympathetic green eyes, searching my face like he’d never seen it before. I tried not to squirm under the attention while my heart seized in my chest—the familiar sensation of longing that I’d experienced countless times before, both in my initial stay in Aincrad and in the real world while Asuna was being held captive atop the World Tree.

“They must really miss you,” Eugeo said, and I winced. For one thing, I didn’t relish the thought of the pain I’d cause Asuna and Yui if I suddenly disappeared for a week, not to mention the effect it’d have on my other friends and family, but also because I wasn’t sure if they missed me at all. The STL was speeding up my consciousness and depending on the rate it was doing so, I might not have been in dive for more than a few hours. _I_ may have spent several days without them, but in all likelihood, they had no idea my consciousness was anywhere out of the ordinary.

“Well, that’s part of why I’m going to the central city,” I said at last. “I’m happy to accompany you, of course, but it also sounds like a good place to get some information.”

I didn’t specify exactly what information I was looking for, or how it related to my current predicament, and thankfully Eugeo didn’t ask. He nodded thoughtfully and we walked on in silence for a while. I noticed Eugeo’s expression grow troubled and I was just about to ask if something was the matter when he scowled in frustration and opened his mouth to speak.

“It’s no good,” he said aloud. “I can’t remember. I _know_ there’s an emptiness there, this place where the memory should be, but I can’t access it. I can’t even guess the size or shape. It’s as if there’s a wall, blocking me.”

Belatedly, I remembered Eugeo’s own memory problems and his theory that regaining my memory could hold the key to reclaiming his. Only, I’d still had most of my memory, so there hadn’t been any need to regain the pieces of it I’d told him. Maybe if I could remember anything that had happened after I’d talked to Asuna about moving to America, it could help me shed some light on Eugeo’s memory troubles. It was the least I could do for my continued deception.

“Mm…” I thought hard, trying to remember everything I knew about memory loss and wondering if it would still apply given Eugeo’s status as an NPC. “Perhaps you’re missing a trigger.”

Eugeo didn’t seem to know what I meant. “A trigger?”

“Yeah,” I said, still thinking about it. “Something to bring the memories to the forefront, something that will remind you of whatever you’re missing. It’ll provide a boost for the remembering process.”

Eugeo sighed. “It’s a good idea, Kirito, but no help if we don’t know what the trigger is.” He bobbed his head and went back to staring down the path. “It’s not that important anyway. I should focus on rescuing Alice, and if I happen across a trigger, the more the better. But Alice is the important thing, and I’m not going to forget that.”

I silently agreed. After all, the holes in my own memory were far less important than the people I was missing, and I admired Eugeo’s determination and loyalty with regards to his childhood friend. It seemed I had a lot in common with the fair-haired man despite our differing appearances. My resolve to aid him in finding his friend strengthened.


End file.
